The Shamrak Report produced by Steven Shamrak presents the Jewish point of view on the Arab-Israel conflict to motivate people to support the Jewish National independence movement, Zionism! You may use articles and letters on your website, FaceBook etc.(Comments in brackets are made by Steven Shamrak)

The displacement, injury and death of civilians in war always tragic, and the current fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is no exception. But unlike the vast majority of conflicts in history, Operation Protective Edge, as Israel calls it, is one in which images of civilian suffering play a central - and potentially decisive - role in the outcome.

And the reason is simple: More than a military strategy, Hamas has a media strategy. Calculatingly, Hamas employs primitive military tactics to mount a sophisticated media campaign that can threaten Israel's basic security. And in conducting that offensive, Hamas can count on one of the world's most powerful weapons: the international media...

Hamas gunmen carry out attacks disguised as women and old men, fight from UN and Red Cross vehicles, store rockets in schools, and physically prevent Palestinian civilians from fleeing combat zones. This context, though, is rarely mentioned by the media when covering the civilian cost of the fighting...

Above all, Hamas knows that shocking images - some of them taken from the carnage in Syria and Iraq and even from Hollywood horror movies - inflame public opinion... (Against Israel) and the international media is complicit in Hamas's plan. While some may think they help the Palestinians by highlighting their plight, in reality, the journalists only worsen it. They effectively absolve Hamas of culpability for using Gaza's population as a human shield, of stealing its aid money to buy munitions and dig fortified tunnels with the sole purpose of killing Israelis.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas are urging residents not to respond to the IDF's warnings to evacuate towns in Gaza close to the Israeli border on Thursday, as the IDF gears up for a possible ground offensive. Hamas's "Public Security Ministry" in Gaza issued a statement praising "martyrs" who have become human shields: "Our mighty people presented a unique example of steadfastness and perseverance, and are not affected or fearful from the psychological warfare from the Occupation. They did not respond to calls from the Occupation to leave their homes - they stayed there and did not abandon them... We applaud, in particular, the strength of our residents in border areas..."

John Kerry gets together with Foreign Ministers of Qatar and Turkey to produce Hamas-friendly cease fire proposal. The draft of cease fire agreement Kerry passed to Israel on Friday shocked the cabinet ministers not only because it was the opposite of what Kerry told them less than 24 hours earlier, but mostly because it might as well have been penned by Khaled Meshal. It was everything Hamas could have hoped for. The document recognized Hamas' position in the Gaza Strip, promised the organization billions in donation funds and demanded no dismantling of rockets, tunnels or other heavy weaponry at Hamas disposal.

Food for Thought by Steven Shamrak

It took Ukraine less than one day to collect and present evidence to major international players that Russian supported separatists, with the help of Russian military personal, shot down Malaysian passenger plane MH17. At the same time Ukraine also immediately conducted a press conference which was widely broadcasted. In spite of all advance intelligence gathering capability, Israel is unwilling to fight anti-Israel accusations which have been continuously made by PA and Muslim countries, with the help of international media, even obviously fake or deliberately staged ones. Israel, due to political lack of national perspective and self- respect, loosing propaganda war, is losing the propaganda war, which enemies of the Jewish state are conducting so successfully!

Kerry and Ban in a Bid to Save Hamas from Defeat.

Monday night, July 21, US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Cairo to press their case. Egyptian President Abdel-Fatteh El-Sisi told them he would not amend his original ceasefire proposal to suit Hamas' demands.

Hamas Refuses Cease-Fire Efforts - Again

Hamas continues to be uncompromising in its position regarding an international cease-fire and rejected proposed cease-fire last Wednesday. "We reject today and will reject in the future," Hamas leader-in-exile Khaled Meshaal insisted.

Officials in Jerusalem are quietly wondering whether the Federal Aviation Administration's prohibition on US flights to Tel Aviv is partially a tactic to pressure Israel into a cease-fire. The FAA's decision will likely impact the Israeli economy. The action, while temporary, tarnishes Israel' s image around the world. Even if US flights resume after 24 hours, the FAA decision sets the precedent for more flight bans in the coming days in response to any rockets hitting near the airport.

Iran and the group known as the P5+1 have agreed to a four-month extension of negotiations toward a final comprehensive nuclear deal. "Diplomacy takes time, and persistence is needed to determine whether we can achieve our objectives peacefully," Kerry said. However, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated that he had faith in Zarif (as a good procrastinator) and his negotiating team but also said Iran must boost its enrichment capacity.

(Does it mean that Iran needs at least four more months to build bombs?)

For the past 14 years, since the Oslo Agreement, French Jews have grown accustomed to coming under attack during periods of conflict in the Middle East from hostile elements within their countrys large Arab and Muslim communities. One recent incident, however, stood out: the July 13 riot by Palestinian sympathizers outside the Synagogue de la Roquette in central Paris that trapped some 200 terrified people inside the building. A street brawl ensued between the rioters and dozens of Jewish men who arrived to defend the synagogue.

Shots fired into Al Jazeera's office in Gaza. The attack came a day after Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was quoted by local media as saying that Israel will work to close down Al Jazeera's operations in Israel. Al Jazeera "has abandoned even the perception of being a reliable news organisation and broadcasts from Gaza and to the world anti-Israel incitement, lies, and encouragement to the terrorists," Lieberman said.

(Al Jazeera is an Arab news network which has been conducting covert anti-Western propaganda and defamation of Israel, but the network hardly reports anything from Saudi Arabia, the greatest human rights abuser, and territory controlled by ISIS!)

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird condemned the fact that Hamas rockets were discovered in a UNRWA run school in Gaza and returned to Hamas officials. "I was appalled to hear reports& of stockpiles of rockets... Even more alarming were reports that in the first case, officials with the United Nations returned these weapons to Hamas, a listed terrorist organization, once Israeli officials discovered their location."

The Israeli government has slammed a decision by the United Nations Human Rights Council to launch an investigation into the IDF's operations in Gaza as "a travesty". "Rather than investigate Hamas, which is committing a double war crime by firing rockets at Israeli civilians while hiding behind Palestinian civilians, the UNHRC calls for an investigation of Israel..." - a statement the Prime Minister's media adviser.

United Nations relief agency UNRWA has discovered, for a second time during the current war in Gaza, Hamas terror rockets stashed in one of its vacant schools. "UNRWA has reinforced and continues to implement its robust procedures to maintain the neutrality of all its premises..."

(What a joke! For years the 'Ugly Nazi' allowed Hamas to use UN facilities as weapon storage and paid terrorists salaries. As IDF is approaching, the UN tries to show its fake neutrality.)

Quote of the Week:

"Barack Obama, of all people, wants to broker a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Here's the thing. Nobody asked him. His offer is just more not-so-subtle pressure upon the Jewish state. Essentially, Obama wants Israel to stop defending herself. Obama has been on a jihad against Israel ever since he took office. He is deeply, deeply anti-Israel." -Pamela Geller, an American blogger, author, political activist, and commentator.

Prevailing Threat to Jewish Nation
by Steven Shamrak

They say "when in Rome do what Romans do!" Unfortunately, for almost 2000 years too many Jews have been following this saying, creating great existential danger to a nation of the Chosen people.

Assimilation is a common issue that many minor ethnic and cultural groups face when they are conquered by or interact with dominant national or religious cultures. Quite often, it leads to complete absorption into the governing societies - complete disintegration and disappearance of the unique culture of the minor ethnic or religious population.

Since its inception the Jewish people have continuously been exposed to this kind of existential threat from many dominant kingdoms and religions.

Though the history many Jews have been abandoned the membership of the unique nation under duress or willingly, adopting the culture of the rulers - during the time of ancient Egypt, Babylonian exile, Roman Empire, Christian Crusaders and Inquisition, as well as during and after the horrors of the Holocaust. Many of our brothers and sisters yielded to the threat of extermination or have surrendered to a temptation of better and more prosperous life or the illusion of personal safety if they confirm to the anti-Semitic dominance of Christian or Muslim neighbours.

During the Roman Empire, almost 2000 years ago, the Jewish population was 8 million, similar to the population of the Han ethnic majority of China which is around 1.2 billion now. Since the end of WWII, Jewish population has remained almost the same, around 12 million. The population of many other nations have tripled or quadrupled at the same time!

The biggest drawback of Jewish assimilation is the fact that many Jewish converts into Christianity or Islam, or the ones who lost the knowledge about their Jewish ancestry, due to the strong impulse to prove that they are good 'Arians', became active participants of the anti-Semitic drive that is often unleashed against Jews by dominating idiots. Some of them have become leading Inquisitors, Communists, Fascists and even Islamists!

For example, not long ago the most active anti-Semite, Csanad Szegedi - a founding member of the Hungarian Guard far- right party, discovered his Jewish roots. Before that he was elected into Hungarian parliament on the neo- Nazi party ticket and wrote a highly anti-Semitcally charged book.

The biggest threat to Israel and the future of the Jewish people is coming from the Jewish community of the United States. It is a six million strong, but divided and is weakened by the assimilation and political apathy. As a result many of them have subscribed to anti-Israel propaganda which has been successfully run by the US government and media. We must not forget that the similar level of complacency Jews had in pre-war Germany!

Jews around the world need to realize this existential threat to all of us from the current wave of assimilation. We need to regain self-respect, pride and understanding of the uniqueness of the Jewish nation, which has survived the enduring horror of persecutions.

Despite of almost two millennia of discrimination and genocides, the Jewish people have always been the vanguard and exceptional contributors to the advancement of the host countries/kingdoms and to the progress of humanity - from spirituality to successful trade/business and financial blood-line of societies; from art to advancement of science and technology!

In order to secure the future of the Jewish nation and fulfill our destiny we'll have to make tough but necessary decisions. Occupation of the Jewish land must end and we have to stand up to international bigotry. But to do so we need establish coherent unity of our own first!

NOTE: Term Palestinians is used as a commonly known definition, not as acceptance of the existence of a fake nation, which was created by Arab states, with the help of the Soviet Union, in 1960s in order to discredit and undermine legitimacy, and eventually destroy the Jewish state!

The aim of this independent editorial (The Shamrak Report) is to present the Jewish point of view on the Arab-Israel conflict and motivate people to support ideals and inspirations of true Zionism, the Jewish National independence movement. We are not affiliated with or sponsored by any government or political party.